Replacing 7900GT KO with x1900xt Help Please

ChiSoxFan

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Jul 5, 2005
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I bought an EVGA 7900GT KO a few weeks ago and it ran way too hot (100C at load) so I RMA'd it and got a replacement that is almost as bad at about 91 at load. So I went out and got a Zalman VF900 and it only reduced it to 80-85C which is still too hot IMO. I'm thinking about returning it and getting the x1900xt from either Sapphire or Connect3d for only $40-50 more, and then using my VF900 to cool it quietly because I don't want a super loud system. Would this be a worthwhile upgrade? Also, I have an Antec TruePower 2.0 430 Watt PSU, will that be sufficient to run the ATI or do I have to go out and get another PSU? Thanks for your help in advance.
 

Munky

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Feb 5, 2005
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The x1900's would be a noticeable improvement over a 7900gt, but they usually run 80-90C under load, and from my own experience the vf900 at 100% was not able to cool it any better than stock cooling at ~60% speed. Also, how many amps is your PSU on the 12v rail? My 420W has 30A and it powers a single xtx without problems. If you have less than 24-26A on 12v you may need a new PSU.
 

jondl

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Aug 16, 2005
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Originally posted by: munky
The x1900's would be a noticeable improvement over a 7900gt, but they usually run 80-90C under load, and from my own experience the vf900 at 100% was not able to cool it any better than stock cooling at ~60% speed. Also, how many amps is your PSU on the 12v rail? My 420W has 30A and it powers a single xtx without problems. If you have less than 24-26A on 12v you may need a new PSU.

^^He's right. But if your main concern is heat, dont expect the x1900xt to be any cooler.
 

ChiSoxFan

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Jul 5, 2005
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Thanks. It's not really the temps I'm getting now, but how much higher they are compared to other people's cards and I don't want my card to die on me. The x1900's tend to normally run hotter so that scares me a lot less (right or wrong). I'm looking on the back of my PSU box and under Output for Max it says +5V-36A, +12V1-17A, +12V2-17A, +3.3V-28A. Is that the info you were looking for?
 

ChiSoxFan

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Jul 5, 2005
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Also, I just bought a new Gigabyte 3DAurora case that has awesome cooling with 1x120mm in front and 2x120mm in back. It's in a very cool room. I thought my case wasn't getting good airflow so replaced it with this and am having the same heat problems with the 7900GT.
 

JPB

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Jul 4, 2005
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Looks like your psu is dual 12v rail at 17 amps each
 

Todd33

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Oct 16, 2003
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My friend wants to sell his X1900XT and buy a 7900GT. The grass is alsways greener...
 

JPB

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Jul 4, 2005
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Originally posted by: Todd33
My friend wants to sell his X1900XT and buy a 7900GT. The grass is alsways greener...

And if he does, he is a fool ...Unless he needs the money
 

ChiSoxFan

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Jul 5, 2005
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Originally posted by: x80064
Looks like your psu is dual 12v rail at 17 amps each

Man, I like to think I know a good amount about computers and have worked on them for quite awhile but for the life of me I can't seem to understand these Amp and Rail things with PSU's.

 

Nanobaud

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Dec 9, 2004
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Originally posted by: x80064
Originally posted by: Todd33
My friend wants to sell his X1900XT and buy a 7900GT. The grass is alsways greener...

And if he does, he is a fool ...Unless he needs the money

Shouldn't you at least want to know what is running on the graphics card before making such a pronouncement. Not everyone here is obsessed with the speed of their video games, and certainly not everyones friends. I have no doubt that ATI cards are well suited for many things, but if I swapped out my Nvidia GPU for one, the programs I care about would run substantially slower. Yet, I don't assume anyone that would prefer an ATI card is a fool ... Unless they pretend to know what others should prefer without knowing why.
 

ChiSoxFan

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Jul 5, 2005
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I don't want to assist in the hijack of my own thread, but the 7900GT is a great card for the money and obviously overclocks like a beast while being very quiet. Mine's stable (at the same super high temps stated earlier) at 640/1780 clocks and performs very well. I also love the drivers and am a bit concerned over the ATI drivers, but don't want to deal with another RMA.

Also, what's the word on Connect3d vs. Sapphire XT's? Are they garbage or worth getting with these $390 prices they're at?
 

JPB

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Jul 4, 2005
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Originally posted by: Nanobaud
Originally posted by: x80064
Originally posted by: Todd33
My friend wants to sell his X1900XT and buy a 7900GT. The grass is alsways greener...

And if he does, he is a fool ...Unless he needs the money

Shouldn't you at least want to know what is running on the graphics card before making such a pronouncement. Not everyone here is obsessed with the speed of their video games, and certainly not everyones friends. I have no doubt that ATI cards are well suited for many things, but if I swapped out my Nvidia GPU for one, the programs I care about would run substantially slower. Yet, I don't assume anyone that would prefer an ATI card is a fool ... Unless they pretend to know what others should prefer without knowing why.
( The grass is alsways greener..) Did you even read that part ? Either he is a fanboi himself ( NV Green )...or he is referring to cash. Explain the possible options for a downgrade then ? If he has an XT allready, which he does....then he must not need the cash difference to pocket.

P.S. Yes, I am a fanboi, I may be the only one to admit it, I dont know. But that wont stop me from buyng NV


 

JPB

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Jul 4, 2005
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Originally posted by: Modular
Originally posted by: x80064And if he does, he is a fool ...Unless he needs the money



*fanboi alert*

I can only laugh at that. Leave it to a person with 53 post count to make such accusations
 

JPB

Diamond Member
Jul 4, 2005
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Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
^^
I would take a bullet for ATI's image quality.........
Says this guy...

There are pros & cons each way.

100 % totally aggree with that....but why for the life of him downgrade when the XT is an excellent card allready ? I also agree the 7900 GT is a great card. I almost bought one, and I still might.
 

JPB

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Jul 4, 2005
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I would say the brands are kind of equal. Although the Sapphire cards usually comes with a better bundle (retail version ) I have a Connect3D card now and not one problem ever. Works flawless. I guess it is which ever is cheaper to go with, unless you like the better bundle. Which now a days, I dont even know what they include. Depending on what you play and at what resolution. The XT would be a OK upgrade at extreme resolutions. But if you play at lower res...you may not notice much difference
 

ChiSoxFan

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Jul 5, 2005
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Thanks. I guess I do play at lower res (1280x1024) but I really like to be able to turn all of the eye candy up without worrying about min framerates. Plus it would be cool to play Oblivion with AA+HDR. I'm using HDR now and it looks great, but figured for the small price difference it would be worth it.
 

JBT

Lifer
Nov 28, 2001
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Power Color is pretty good too. Most of the manufacterers are very similar. PowerColor retail X1900 cards do come with a life time warrenty which is good though.
 

firewolfsm

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Oct 16, 2005
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0______0, if you have a 7900GT running at 80C, imagine how hot an X1900XT will run. Think about it, you're running graphics cards about 20C higher than most cases would, if the average X1900 runs at 80C you're risking a card running at 100C. There's something wrong with your airflow, I would fix that first.
 

ChiSoxFan

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Jul 5, 2005
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Originally posted by: firewolfsm
0______0, if you have a 7900GT running at 80C, imagine how hot an X1900XT will run. Think about it, you're running graphics cards about 20C higher than most cases would, if the average X1900 runs at 80C you're risking a card running at 100C. There's something wrong with your airflow, I would fix that first.

I'm positive it's not my airflow. I even went into my case again, made sure cables were neat, and checked all the fans. I have 1 120mm intake in front, one 120mm intake on the vented side panel, 1 80mm blowing up from the base, Zalman vf900-cu on high, and (2) 120mm fans blowing the hot air out. This is all in a cold room as well. My airflow is great on this system. I previously had a 7800GT that was overclocked a lot and never had temp problems like this. I think it's a problem with the 7900GT KO's.

 

Polish3d

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Jul 6, 2005
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Originally posted by: ChiSoxFan
I bought an EVGA 7900GT KO a few weeks ago and it ran way too hot (100C at load) so I RMA'd it and got a replacement that is almost as bad at about 91 at load. So I went out and got a Zalman VF900 and it only reduced it to 80-85C which is still too hot IMO. I'm thinking about returning it and getting the x1900xt from either Sapphire or Connect3d for only $40-50 more, and then using my VF900 to cool it quietly because I don't want a super loud system. Would this be a worthwhile upgrade? Also, I have an Antec TruePower 2.0 430 Watt PSU, will that be sufficient to run the ATI or do I have to go out and get another PSU? Thanks for your help in advance.

An XT at stock (check AT's 7950GX2 review) beats 7900GT SLI about half the time, an overclocked XTX will probably beat it in a vast majority of cases. I would get an XTX or XT